Wickets aplenty at Chester-le-Street

Amjad Khan marked his return with three wickets for Kent © Getty Images

Despite the loss of 100 minutes to rain this morning 15 wickets fell on the first day of Durham’s LV County Championship Division One match against Kent at Chester-le-Street.

The visitors closed on 43 for five in reply to 146 with conditions favouring the seamers after Rob Key put Durham in and saw them put on 58 for the first wicket.

Robbie Joseph sparked their collapse, taking wickets in each of his first two overs and another in the first over of his second spell.

In the absence of the injured Yasir Arafat (side strain) and Azhar Mahmood (knee), Amjad Khan came in for his second appearance of the season and chipped in with three big wickets.

The ball swung as well as seamed and ex-Durham bowler Martin Saggers took the last four wickets for five runs in 19 balls.

With Steve Harmison on Test duty, Durham also opted to leave out his brother Ben and drafted in both Mark Davies and Graham Onions.

It was Davies, coming on first change, who did the bulk of the damage when Kent started their first innings with 22 overs to bat.

He rattled Joe Denly’s middle stump with his second ball, had Matt Walker lbw offering no stroke and finally bowled nightwatchman Saggers to finish with 3-7.

Durham’s worst period came when wickets went down in three successive overs, all on 91, with Will Smith looking to drive Joseph towards mid-on only to lose his off stump.

Either side of that, Dale Benkenstein and Phil Mustard fell for ducks to Khan, who also claimed the prize scalp of Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Khan missed the whole of last season after knee surgery, and posed little threat in his opening spell, while new-ball partner Ryan McLaren proved expensive as Michael Di Venuto and Mark Stoneman made rapid progress following an early lunch.

Batting looked tricky at the outset, but after seven runs had come from four overs, rain prevented any further play until 1.20pm.

Di Venuto took three off-side fours in an over off McLaren to take the total past 50, but when Kent made a double change, Joseph struck with his third ball.

Di Venuto departed for 27 when he pushed forward and edged to wicketkeeper Geraint Jones, then in Joseph’s next over he beat Stoneman’s forward push to trim his off stump.

Chanderpaul was the first victim for Khan in the fourth over of his second spell, and it was a big moment for the Dane as the world’s current top-ranked batsman pushed forward and edged low to second slip.

The same combination of Khan and Martin van Jaarsveld accounted for Mustard, while Benkenstein got an inside edge onto his stumps.

When Kent batted, van Jaarsveld stood firm with eight not out off 31 balls and he offers their main hope of a first-innings lead.